A Path Diverged
by Alexia Featherchild
Summary: <html><head></head>In another reality where a certain character didn't die and Voldemort didn't get as strong a hold on the wizarding world as he might have liked, Harry Potter and Severus Snape learn what it will take to rid themselves of the Dark Lord for good.</html>
1. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

** DISCLAIMER**: I do not own nor do I make money off of Harry Potter, that is all J. K. Rowlings.

**Note**: Thank you's go out to the hosts of snape_potter and their help with edits to this work of fiction.

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><p><strong><span>TWO ROADS DIVERGED IN A WOOD, AND I—<span>**

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><p>Biting his lip when his feet hit the ground, he tasted something metallic, like copper – blood. His own.<p>

He glanced up at Cedric and had been about to ask where they were, when some sound had him whipping his wand out and pointing it in the direction of the intruder.

"Don't move, Cedric." The rate at which his heart beat was quicker than moments before, during the last moment of triumph of the Triwizard tournament.

Cedric had been about to get up, from what Harry could make out in the cover of darkness. But it was a time for caution.

Cedric asked him in a hushed whisper whilst he gazed down at the Triwizard Cup, "Did you know the cup was a Portkey?"

Harry shook his head. "No. But we need to get out of here."

Cedric nodded in agreement.

The rustling in the grass caused Harry to jump to his feet. He groaned upon the sensation of pain which shot up his injured leg.

Still, his wand hand did not waver.

He found it difficult to see through the darkness, but he stood in front of Cedric, the cup on the ground behind him: between them.

Noticing where they were, he recalled a dream he'd had. A nightmare. They were far from safe.

"Cedric, use the Portkey and get help."

Cedric's lips parted to protest, but Harry stomped his foot. "Do it now, Cedric!"

Cedric appeared about to protest but Harry waved his wand, calling the Triwizard cup and sending it straight at Cedric, who had no choice but to grab it.

And then he heard a pop behind him and knew that the older boy of Hufflepuff had gone. Surely Cedric would get help.

But in that moment, without warning, the agony his scar caused exploded tenfold.

So much pain that he lifted a hand to his head and nearly fell to his knees once more.

But he had heard, at the instant Cedric disappeared with the Triwizard Cup, a deadly voice all but hiss a command, "Kill the spare."

"Yes, Master."

It was fortunate that the spare was gone. Cedric Diggory was no spare. But Harry had to find a way out of here.

The voice was familiar, both of them. Voldemort. And Wormtail. The monster who had killed his parents and the friend who had betrayed them. Wormtail was just as much responsible for his parents' death as Voldemort himself.

Yet there was only one body.

Wormtail grunted, "Master, the spare..."

"We'll just have to do this quickly."

Wormtail nodded and set his bundle down. He could make out the name on that bundle as the betrayer lit his wand.

TOM RIDDLE

Harry gulped, sweat beading on his brow. He lifted his wand just as Wormtail called out, "Incarcerous." Harry was just a moment quicker with his own spell.

"Protego!"

Magic sparks like lightning jumped from his wand and rose up like a shield, a mirror. What was to hit Harry, bounced off of it and hit Wormtail.

The ropes weaved quickly around the rat.

His heart continued to pound, his body trembling. Voldemort was there. But he was vulnerable.

He didn't know what to do, but he could feel pain growing more intense in his head, knowing the hatred and intense rage that Voldemort felt.

It brought him to his knees, but whatever had been planned that night had been prevented.

Soon the sound of others appearing there had him turning his body to point his wand at the intruders.

Seeing who it was, he proceeded to faint, unable to take the pain much longer.

Dumbledore and McGonagall would surely know what to do with Peter Pettigrew, Wormtail, the blasted rat.

The last he heard before passing out completely was Dumbledore's words.

"Sirius Black will be exonerated with the evidence that Peter Pettigrew is indeed alive. And caught. We'll need to keep this part of Tom locked away somewhere."

The thought of his godfather being cleared of all charges left a sweet, yet bitter, smile on the passed-out youth's countenance.


	2. I took the one less traveled by

**I TOOK THE ONE LESS TRAVELED BY**

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><p>When Harry woke next, it was to the sound of cheers chanting his and Cedric Diggory's names.<p>

But he did not feel like celebrating.

His head still hurt. "What's going on?"

Hermione and Ron rushed up to him on either side.

Hermione said, "We're glad you're alright, Harry."

Ron just looked ill. "He... he... tried to bring himself back."

Harry blinked, "What?"

Professor Snape stepped in. "Give Potter some room."

Harry gulped and gazed up at Snape.

Dumbledore stood behind him. "Peter Pettigrew has told us the truth. Tonight was an attempt to bring Voldemort back to more than just the head he is now. We also learned that Alastor Moody was actually Barty Crouch, Jr. We've seen to him and sent the real Alastor Moody to St. Mungo's. As for Voldemort, it seems we cannot permanently kill him, so he is locked up in an anti-magic vault and has had his mouth gagged so that he won't be able to command any serpents."

Harry nodded; that was better than nothing. Although he'd rather the man, the monster he'd become, didn't exist at all.

Professor Snape ruined the moment with his cryptic remark, "Just because he is locked away does not mean that he no longer presents a threat. As for tonight's occurrence, it does not allow one to get out of doing one's work. Those with abysmal grades on the upcoming exam will of course have to serve detention. As well as remedial potions."

Harry felt Snape's gaze on him and shivered. Nothing like a life and death experience to appreciate the daunting, yet sexy, timber of that voice. His eyes rounded at the thought and he quickly turned his head away with a frown. Snape could be less of a greasy haired git if he'd at least extend the days for study by a few.

Ron muttered under his breath as the professors walked away, "What a git."

Hermione frowned at him. "Really, Ron! If you and Harry would just apply yourselves and stop getting into so much trouble."

Ron stared with gaping mouth at her, then turned to look at Harry. "Did she... did you hear..."

Harry nodded, with the smallest smirk. "Well, we do get into trouble. But, maybe with Voldemort locked away, we can concentrate more on our studies." If it was true that Tom Riddle as Voldemort—even in his present state—still remained a threat, then he wanted to be prepared as he possibly could b


	3. And that has made all the difference

**AND THAT HAS MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE**

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><p>Years passed by without incident, Harry and his friends grew up, but they never forgot and continued to train, to learn. Deaths had been avoided, or more deaths than had already occurred. There were those, of course, who attempted to find just where Voldemort was being kept, but their efforts soon proved to be in vain.<p>

Dumbledore was always one step ahead of the game.

One day in the beginning of Harry Potter's seventh year, that very headmaster called him into the office.

Harry strode in. He'd filled out over the years thanks to having moved in with Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks at Grimmauld Place. With his godfather alive and well, and Voldemort out of the picture at least for the time being, he'd been able to stay with them.

"Yes, sir?"

Professor Dumbledore sat back in his seat, "Please Harry, have a seat."

Harry went to sit and noticed that someone was already occupying one of the chairs.

"What is Professor Snape doing here?"

Snape sneered, "That is none of your business, Potter, but I have a feeling that the headmaster here thinks differently."

Behind the half moon spectacles, Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

The oldest wizard in the room that wasn't a portrait hanging on the wall unwrapped a lemon drop and held out two unwrapped ones in his free hand.

"Care for a lemon drop, Harry? Severus?"

Harry smiled and took one. "Thank you, sir."

Snape rolled his eyes. "As you already are aware, I'm sure, I do not indulge in ridiculous Muggle sweets."

Harry rolled his own eyes, but made no comment.

Dumbledore placed his elbows on his desk, hands under his chin.

"I am going to need you to work together. And I know that Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley are your greatest allies, Harry. But Severus... Professor Snape will be of great aid as well. Over the years we have found and destroyed Horcruxes. But two remain, Nagini and..." He went on to explain how, on the night Voldemort had meant to kill Harry, that instead he had inadvertently created a Horcrux and thus the lightning bolt scar on Harry Potter's forehead.

Both Harry Potter's and Severus Snape's mouths were pressed into thin white lines.

Harry stood up. "I have to die so that he can!?"

Snape didn't look too pleased, either.

Dumbledore sighed, "Please do sit down. There are other ways. And we can always wait until old age has gotten you, Harry. But other dark wizards looking for someone to follow might just want to resurrect Voldemort."

Harry sat back down in his chair. "Then... I have no choice but to die."

Snape was the one to protest. "Nonsense. You do not need to be a sacrificial lamb, you bloody Gryffindor."

Harry shook his head. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

Snape snapped, "Nothing."

Dumbledore said, "There is something, and it doesn't require your death, Harry."

Both Harry and Snape looked at the headmaster. Snape's frown lines were pronounced as he gritted his teeth. Harry just stared at the headmaster, looking him over, wondering what could possibly help to rid him of the piece of Tom Riddle, Voldemort's soul, that resided within him.

Something that might get rid of the headaches and nightmares he still suffered, though they weren't as intense as once they'd been.

Dumbledore's fingers touched and then backed off and touched again as he thought it over before making the suggestion.

"Your magic simply needs to be stronger than it is, Harry."

"How?" Harry asked.

Snape crossed his arms in front of his chest, "That is impossible. He cannot possibly attain even greater power than he already possesses."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled again, before they narrowed and lost their merriment.

Harry felt uncomfortable when he saw the change.

Dumbledore answered, "Harry, with only his magic, isn't strong enough. But there is a way for him to gain more power. He needs to bond and share the magic with his bond-mate. This bond-mate must be equally powerful and have the capacity for deep and abiding love."

Snape sat up at that; he glanced at Harry with a smug expression as if he knew just what to do. "I'm sure you and Miss Ginevra Weasley will be quite happy to expedite your nuptials."

Dumbledore shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Severus. You are the only one compatible with Harry's magic. And as I have been made aware, Ginevra Weasley is dating Viktor Krum since Harry came out to her and all of the Weasleys this summer. I had the fortune to be there."

Snape quickly shot a look at Harry.

Harry flushed. "You don't have to tell him everything! Wait, I have to bond with Snape?"

The idea of bonding was Snape was not at all unappealing, but the man had never shown any interest in him beyond intense heated looks which Harry assumed to be out of hate.

And seeing as this bonding idea wasn't Snape's, there couldn't be a possibility of the Potions master saying yes.

But much to his shock, instead of Severus's declining, there was a heated look like molten lava and melting chocolate directed his way that had him near to squirming in his seat.

Face flushed, he stared down at his lap and missed the smirk on the greasy git's countenance.

"I would be delighted to bond with Harry Potter. I might be able to instill some much needed discipline that way."

Rising from his chair, he held out his hand for Harry. "Come along, Potter. We're going to tell the Wizarding world of our upcoming ceremony. And you will not object. I haven't risked my life as many times as I have to let you walk into Voldemort's web and die as a sacrifice for us all."

Harry looked up and recalled all those times the man had saved him. Despite the warring thoughts that this was wrong and yet felt oh so right, he slowly moved his hand and placed it in Professor Snape's.

Snape looked startled.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with merriment. "You can't get out of it now, Severus. Harry has accepted your... hand."

Snape drawled, "So I see. You will, of course, cancel my classes for the day, won't you, Albus? I've to introduce my soon-to-be bond-mate to the pleasures of the flesh."

Harry felt his face warm and was tempted to stomp on the professor's foot. But he was quickly led away to Professor Severus Snape's bedchamber and tossed stomach down onto the mattress.

He felt the cool air on his flesh, Snape having used nonverbal magic to do away with their clothes.

Then he felt the heat of bare skin on his own naked flesh and a cock as hard as his own against his backside.

A soft moan escaped his lips when hot breath landed beside an ear.

"Are you, prepared to be mine, Potter?"

"Call me... Harry."

"Well, Harry, are you?"

Harry gulped. "Y-yes."

"Do I detect a tremble in your voice? Where is your Gryffindor courage now?"

The words were silky, barely above a whisper.

Before Harry could say anything, his earlobe was nibbled and sucked on.

The anticipation was killing him.

And there were sure to be many more moments like those they shared then, throughout their years together as bond-mates, before and after their combined effort to defeat the Dark Lord, Voldemort, once and for all.

**-The End-**

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><p><strong>Author Note<strong>: I do hope this has been an enjoyable read. It was originally published over at the snape_potter on dreamwidth, livejournal and insanejournal (_although for the life of me I cannot seem to look at the posts marked private on insanejournal. Maybe I forgot to join x: )_


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